


It's A Secret To Everybody

by warrior_of_wisdom



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Gen, How Do I Tag, Hyrule (Linked Universe)-centric, Insecurity, Legend and Hyrule are bros, Light Angst, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Mentions of Koholint, My First AO3 Post, Probably ooc, The other links are there but they don't do much, Warrior is kind of a jerk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:40:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25915252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/warrior_of_wisdom/pseuds/warrior_of_wisdom
Summary: Legend has a lot of secrets. He's sworn to never tell the group of his adventures on Koholint, or the fact that Hyrule was his grandson, but when an insult strikes a little too close to the surface, he can't take it anymore.Oh, well. At least Hyrule's there to keep him company.
Relationships: Hyrule & Legend (Linked Universe)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 101





	It's A Secret To Everybody

The amount of times the Links had seen Legend cry could be counted on one hand.  
The veteran hero was known for being tough and brash, and even downright mean at times. His normal banter with Warrior would bring most Hylians to tears.  
Nobody had ever seen Legend cry. He had let out a whimper or two if he sustained an especially harsh wound in battle, but never more than that. He mocked Sky and Wind for not being able to take a hit, though both Links knew he was just joking—he wouldn’t hurt his teammates like that.  
Legend was an enigma to Hyrule. Why would somebody who surrounded himself with people never express his emotions to anyone? He had always wished he had an outlet to express himself. Nobody was ever there to hold the young hero when he cried, to comfort him when he was upset… Why would Legend turn something like that down?  
When they walked through the portal into the next world, Hyrule and Legend both recognized it immediately.  
This was Hyrule’s world, and the future of Legend’s.  
The two heroes kept their lineage secret, never letting anyone know that Hyrule was Legend’s descendant. It was no secret among the group that Twilight was Time’s great-great-something grandson, and that Wind and Warrior were related somehow (and Hyrule was ninety percent sure that Twilight was Wild’s ancestor). But Legend had made him promise not to tell anyone of their relationship. The younger hero never understood his ancestor’s motivations, but he would keep his secret.  
Hyrule knew Legend was self-conscious about what had happened after his death, but that was all the elder hero ever mentioned of his feelings. When he tried to push the veteran further, he would close himself off, refusing to say anything at all.  
So if Legend winced when they stepped into the wasteland that was Hyrule’s home, the traveler pretended not to notice.  
“Who’s Hyrule is this?” Time asked, surveying the world. “We’ve never been here before.”  
“It’s mine,” Hyrule said sheepishly, raising his hand. “I know it looks kind of bad, but… it’s home, at least…”  
“Well, it’s pretty ruined,” Warrior remarked. “I’d hate to know what happened to this place.”  
Across the group from the captain, Legend’s normal frown dipped into a scowl.  
“It was like this before I was born,” Hyrule said, gazing up at the sky. It was quite scary, being a dark shade of red to symbolize nighttime.  
“Well, then I’d hate to know who came before you,” Warrior said, smirking. “After all, what kind of hero would be able to live with themselves knowing that this is what they left behind?”  
The scowl on Legend’s face twisted into an expression full of hatred.  
“I mean,” he laughed, “the world’s practically destroyed! Whoever came before you must have been a real failure-”  
“Maybe you should think before you speak,” a cold voice said, and everybody in the group turned to look at Legend. His face was dark, every feature of his showing his internal struggle of keeping up his normal façade of no emotion.  
“After all,” he said, every word infused with bitterness and hate, “it must hurt being called a failure.”  
He took in a shaky breath, his face slowly turning red. “But you wouldn’t know that, would you?” he hissed. “Because you’re so perfect at everything. Look at me, I’m so great! Not everybody’s as celebrated as you, you know! And that doesn’t give you the right to call any of us a failure when all you ever did was save the world from its own protector!”  
With those final words, Legend ran off, leaving all eight of the other Links completely stunned.  
“Did he just…” Warrior said, trailing off.  
“I’m going after him,” Hyrule said, determined.  
“What? ‘Rule, you can’t just leave!” Sky said. “We have to stick together!”  
“I’ll be fine!” Hyrule called. “This is my Hyrule. I know its dangers.”  
“Be careful!” Wild called, but Hyrule had already ran off in the direction that Legend had gone in.

Hyrule wandered through the sparse trees, looking around and trying to find Legend. He took a few more steps forward, hearing the subtle noise of a bowstring being pulled taut.  
Who could have been aiming that arrow?  
He could hear the string being released, and the arrow flew straight into a tree. Hyrule didn’t see it, though.  
He looked around the tree he was standing behind, sighing in relief as he noticed Legend standing there, his bow aimed at the few other trees in the clearing. They all had at least three arrows sticking out of the wood, and as Hyrule watched, he shot another arrow at the tree he was aiming at.  
The veteran barely refrained from screaming in frustration as the arrow flew straight into the end of another one, splitting the wooden shaft in half.  
Hyrule stepped out of the shadows, saying, “Guess that one’s gone, huh?”  
Legend whirled around, another arrow flying from his bow before he had a chance to comprehend who had snuck up on him.  
Hyrule used the split second he had to cast the shield spell, the arrow falling harmlessly to the ground. “Legend, talk to me,” he pleaded. “What’s going on?”  
As he drew closer, Hyrule could see the redness in his mentor’s eyes, the shining streaks on his face, and the glittering in the corner of his eyes.  
At this point, it was fairly obvious that Legend had been crying.  
He swiped his arm across his face, trying his best to wipe away the proof that he had been crying. “What do you want?” he said, his voice slightly trembling.  
“I just want you to talk to me, Legend,” Hyrule said, walking over to his mentor. “Why are you so upset? What’s wrong?”  
Legend huffed, walking over to the nearest tree and pulling out the arrows that were stuck in the wood. “Knowing that I wasn’t there when my home needed me…”  
He went silent, a small bundle of arrows clenched in his hands. “Hyrule, do you think I’m a failure?”  
“What?” Hyrule gasped. “No! Legend, why would I?”  
“Tell me the truth,” he said, tightening his grip on the arrows as he walked to the next tree. “What do you think of me? Who do you think I am?”  
“Legend, you’re a great hero,” Hyrule protested, jogging over to where Legend stood. “And no, I’m not just saying that because you’re my great-great-grandfather. I’m saying that because I respect you as a hero and a friend.”  
“I’m not that great of a person, Hyrule!” Legend exploded, dropping the arrows he had collected and pressing his forehead against the tree. “If you actually knew what I’ve done, you would hate me.”  
“No, I wouldn’t,” Hyrule said, placing a hand on Legend’s shoulder, only for him to smack it away.  
“You say you wouldn’t, but how do I know you’re telling the truth?” he demanded. “How would you feel if you destroyed an entire reality?”  
Hyrule sucked in a sharp breath, going completely silent. Legend, realizing what he said, sank to his knees.  
“Hyrule, I’m not a good person,” Legend said, wrapping his arms around his torso and hugging himself. “Why can’t anyone see that?”  
Hyrule crouched by Legend’s side, pulling the older hero into a hug. “Legend, you are a good person,” he murmured. “You’ve stayed by my side through all of this—when we first met, when we met the other Links, when I needed to keep my magic secret—you’ve been there for me through all of it. Would a bad person do that?”  
“I-” Legend looked down, his slight sniffles stopping. “I guess not.”  
“You aren’t a bad person,” Hyrule said, trying to encourage his friend. “You’re a good person who’s made mistakes. I’ve made mistakes. Warrior’s made mistakes. All of the other Links have made mistakes, but those mistakes aren’t any reason to put yourself down. Each time you mess up is an opportunity to learn.”  
“But what if you can’t learn from it?” Legend retorted. “What if you screwed up so severely that you don’t even know what you did wrong? What if you messed up so bad there’s no chance of you ever being able to fix what you’ve done? I ruined the one chance I had to have a peaceful life. I destroyed an entire world, effectively killing everyone who lived there. How could I fix this? How could I learn from it? How could I redeem myself?”  
“You’ve done so many good things, too,” Hyrule said, taking one of Legend’s hands. “You saved the world, like, six times. You’re probably one of the greatest heroes of all time. You’re more experienced than Time, for Hylia’s sake! Legend, trust me when I tell you that you aren’t a bad person.”  
Legend pondered Hyrule’s words for a moment, before saying, “Maybe you’re right. We’ve all made some mistakes, haven’t we?”  
Hyrule chuckled. “More than I can count.”  
Legend sighed, looking up at the crimson sky. “It’s getting late. ‘Rule, you should head back to the group.”  
Hyrule blinked in shock. “And leave you here, alone? In my Hyrule?”  
“I’ll be fine,” the veteran hero reassured. “I’ve dealt with worse things than your monsters before.”  
Hyrule raised an eyebrow, shrugging. “Be careful, and don’t stay out too late.”  
“I won’t,” Legend said passively. “I’ll be right behind you. Just make sure not to get lost.”  
Hyrule laughed. “I won’t,” he said. “I’m pretty sure they set up camp where we went through the portal. If they didn’t… well, it’ll be just you and me again, I guess.”  
Legend gave him a thumbs up, saying, “Give me a minute to clean up here and I’ll be right behind you.”  
Hyrule saluted, running off in the direction he came from.

It took him a moment to arrive at the Links’ camp, but when he got back, there was a fire and most of the Links had already laid out their bedrolls, the only exceptions being Legend and Hyrule. He made sure to announce his arrival, so that his companions wouldn’t be suspicious.  
Wild looked up from his position at the fire, waving to Hyrule. “Where’s Legend?”  
“He needed a minute,” Hyrule said, walking over to where he had left his bag and putting down his sword and shield. He unfolded his bedroll, placing it somewhat near the fire. “He should be back soon.”  
“Why did he run off in the first place?” Four questioned. “He seemed very upset.”  
“He was,” Hyrule said, pointedly avoiding Warrior’s gaze. “He was very hurt.”  
“It was just a joke,” Warrior said, rolling his eyes. “How was I supposed to know it was him who came before you?”  
“You knew it was one of us who came before me,” Hyrule accused, glaring at the captain. “Maybe you should think before you speak.”  
“Oh, so now you’re quoting him?” Warrior taunted. “Why can’t people just take a joke these days? If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen.”  
“Warrior, you made him cry.”  
That abruptly stopped the captain’s taunting. “I… what?”  
“When I found him, he was crying,” Hyrule said, each word laced with uncharacteristic venom. “Warrior, you really hurt him. He already feels bad enough for not being here when the world needed him. Legend isn’t responsible for something that happened nearly a century after his death!”  
“I didn’t know…”  
“So don’t blame him for something he had no control over!”  
“You don’t have to yell, Hyrule,” Time said calmly, trying to defuse the situation. “I understand that you’re trying to defend Legend, but there’s no need for you to get this upset.”  
Hyrule swallowed. “I know,” he murmured. “It’s just…”  
“I understand,” Time said encouragingly, “and if either you or Legend ever need to talk to anyone, I’m always available.”  
“Might take you up on that offer someday, old man,” a snarky voice said from somewhere in the bushes. Legend walked out, a bundle of arrows clutched in his hand and all evidence of his earlier breakdown wiped clean. “We’ve all screwed up before. Sometimes you just need to vent.”  
He walked over to the spot next to Hyrule, dropping his bags and walking over to where Warrior was sitting. There was heavy tension in the air for a moment, before Legend muttered, “I’m sorry.”  
Warrior blinked. “Why are you apologizing to me?”  
“I let myself get caught up in the heat of the moment, and let your comment get to me. I shouldn’t have run off, and I shouldn’t have insulted you in the way that I did. You are just as valid of a hero as any of us are, and I’m sorry for trying to belittle you.”  
“Legend… I hurt you. Badly. I should be the one apologizing to you.”  
“You’re right; you really should be the one with the apology here. However, I still said some things that I shouldn’t have, and for that, I’m sorry.”  
The Links stared at their companion, their confusion and disbelief shown in each of their expressions. For some, it was more obvious (Wind’s jaw had dropped so low it almost hit the ground, and his eyes were wide), while for others, it was more neutral (Time had merely raised an eyebrow).  
“What are you all looking at me like that for?”  
“Are you okay?” Twilight asked, scooting away from Legend and Warrior’s position to protect himself if the former lashed out. “Did you hit your head or something?”  
Legend scoffed. “No. Why?”  
“You just apologized,” Wind said, clearly still in disbelief. “To Warrior.”  
The veteran snorted. “Yeah, so?”  
“You never apologize to anybody,” Sky pointed out. “Especially not Warrior.”  
“Well, maybe I had a change of heart,” Legend sniffed.  
“How could you have changed that fast?”  
Legend looked at Hyrule, who was still staring at him in disbelief.  
“Sometimes, it’s your family who teaches the best lessons.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Thanks for reading this! This is my first post on Ao3 so it would really mean a lot if you could leave some feedback so that I could improve my writing skills and write something a lot better than this. All types of comments are greatly appreciated!


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